Bad Blood
by Briode Nebuliser
Summary: Kathryn Black has been plagued by nightmares as far back as she can remember. So what happens when she goes to Hogwarts with her twin brother and meets someone she saw being attacked by a werewolf in a dream five years ago? AU Discontinued
1. Prologue: 1966

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Kathryn found herself alone in a sloping field on the edge of some woods. This place wasn't like anywhere she had ever been before. The grass felt wet and springy under her bare feet. A cool breeze blew her hair out of her eyes. As Kathryn looked up at the sky, a cloud was blown away to reveal an infinite number of stars and a blue tinged full moon. Before Kathryn had had sufficient time to marvel at the sight of more stars than had ever been in the sky above Grimmauld Place, she was unfairly brought to her senses. A small boy was running down the field. At first he seemed to be running towards her, but he veered right and ran down to a small river at the bottom of the hill. A thrill of foreboding sent goose pimples up her arms and legs. Suddenly Kathryn felt extremely out of place in her white nightdress, watching this boy. Cautiously she followed him, wary of any sound that might give her away. When she was only a few feet away from him the boy stiffened. She held her breath. All of a sudden, a humungous ball of fur and teeth threw itself at the boy. Kathryn backed away, trying not to scream…  
  
Kathryn Black woke up whimpering. She would not scream. God knows what her mother would do to her. Though she was only five years old, Kathryn had learnt long ago that nightmares were preferable to her own mother. Keeping her eyes tightly shut, Kathryn sat up under her blankets. Blinking sweat out of her eyes, she tried to convince herself that it had been a dream. Somehow it was hard to convince herself of that, even when she was huddled under five blankets and a duvet her hair plastered to her face with sweat. It was extremely difficult to breathe under all these layers of bedding, but the idea of kicking one off was absurd. She knew what waited for her in the darkness. They were the things that invaded her dreams, turning into nightmares.   
  
Kathryn had dreamed about far worse things than what she had just seen, but this dream was more disturbing than any of the others. That boy had looked around her age. What was going to happen to him? Would that beast, whatever it was, kill him or would he just be hurt? Would his parents find him on time? Was what she saw even real? Kathryn was starting to feel drowsy. She tried to hold on to her last bit of consciousness, but in vain. Before she let herself fall back into sleep, she was vaguely aware of something moving her blankets away.

*

  
Kathryn found herself in a hospital room full of dazzling sunlight. There were many beds in the room but only two of them were actually occupied. One of the patients was a small girl with black hair and an unusually thin face. The girl had a bandage on her right hand and a faint, scratch like birthmark on her left cheek. Kathryn now recognised this girl as herself. Not entirely sure how this was possible she reached out to hold her sleeping self's hand.   
  
Two nurses, one young, one old, came through but neither of them seemed to be able to see her.  
  
Several painful sounding coughs made her remember the other patient. She spun round, knocking a goblet of water off the bedside table. Kathryn walked over to him. Behind her she could hear the nurses coming over as well. He was a small boy with brown hair that fell onto his face. Only now did she realise he was the boy from her other dream. He was covered in scratches and bite marks that looked as though they had only just been magically healed.  
  
'Who are you?' Kathryn asked him softly.  
  
'Who is he?' one of the nurses asked curtly from behind Kathryn.  
  
'Remus Lupin,' the other nurse answered. 'He was bitten by a werewolf. He was brought in an hour ago.'  
  
A werewolf. Last night she had seen a werewolf attack this boy, Remus Lupin. Without realising it, she was reaching out her hand and stroking Remus on the forehead.   
  
'Hi Remus,' Kathryn whispered. 'I'm Kathryn Black. I don't suppose you have many friends, what with living out in the country. I don't have friends either. Except my brother, but he doesn't count. Will you be my friend Remus? Will you protect me from the dark?'  
  
Remus' eyes opened. They were mesmerising shade of blue. He looked straight at Kathryn, staring at her face. His gaze locked on her eyes. Remus opened his mouth to say something…


	2. Escaping For The Year: 1971

Disclaimer: I don't own the HP world or the marauder era, but I do own Kathryn and Hippy Girl (though I don't own her future daughter. Wish I did). Anyone you recognise doesn't belong to me. Also I made up Mrs. Black's first name. 

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**Wednesday September 1st 1971**

Kathryn Ciara Nigella Black glared at her reflection in her full-length mirror. Her scratch-like birthmark was standing out on her cheek even more than usual. Her curly hair was all over the place. She fingered one of her long raven black ringlets and gazed at her dark brown eyes in concern. She was wearing her favourite necklace. The long, gold one with the emeralds and diamonds. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was everything a Black, and a Slytherin, could be expected to be. She was cunning, devious and extremely ambitious. There was just no denying that she was perfect Slytherin material. It was in her blood. She had born to be a Slytherin, inherit a fortune and marry into a rich pure-blood family they were not yet related to. That was what her mother wanted her to do and what Kathryn would have to do if she wanted to get anywhere near the family's money. At least, that's what her mother wanted her to do 

Kathryn and her twin brother, Sirius, hated their mother and hated the fact that the foul woman had that sort of power over them. The feeling was clearly mutual. In the eyes of Madelyn Black, the only use her two oldest children served was to get married and procreate even more pure-blood, muggle hating brats. If they didn't have that use, Kathryn knew her mother would have murdered the two of them long ago. Or, more likely, gotten Kreacher, the family house-elf, to do it for her. 

Of course, precious little Regulus was a completely different story. Regulus was two years younger than them and their parents adored him. After putting up with the brat for eight years, Kathryn could no longer stand to be in the same room as him. The sooner she and Sirius got away from here and went to Hogwarts, the better. 

Then she remembered. She and Sirius were going to Hogwarts, _today_! They had been waiting to go all summer. They wouldn't have to see their mother or Regulus again until next summer! The happiness didn't last very long though. She knew that they would have to be sorted as soon as they got there and being a Black was a one-way ticket into Slytherin. She was dreading being sorted into any house. She knew that everyone would hate them anyway. If they got put in Slytherin, everyone would hate them. If they were put in some other house, everyone would still hate them. She honestly didn't know what was worse. And there was still the possibility that she and Sirius would be put in different houses. 

Kathryn looked around her cosy attic room, searching for reassurance. There was enough space for a double bed with several blankets piled on it, a small wardrobe and a fireplace. The walls were just plain black stone. The only real decoration in the room had been a black sheepskin rug that she had packed in her Hogwarts trunk last night. The little sunlight that could get through her grimy window this early in the morning lit a wide path across the floor. She had a feeling she'd forgotten to pack something, so she hurried over to her wardrobe. There were only two places her room were Kathryn could actually lose things. The first place was under her bed; the second was in her wardrobe. 

She opened the doors, and then knelt down in front of it. She stretched her arm out and ran her hand across the "floor" of the wardrobe. She found it almost immediately; a small hole in the wood right at the back, just big enough to put her fingers through. Kathryn had found it when she had been seven and had lost one of her rings down there. She wrenched it up to reveal all the jewels, trinkets and books she had collected over the years. There was her jewellery, the money she'd smuggled from one of the family vaults when her mother hadn't been looking and, of course, her books. There was "_The Complete Guide to Greek and Roman Mythology"_, _"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Becoming an Animagus", "Hogwarts: A History" _and, her all-time favourite:_ "The Legend of The Werewolf: Fact and Fiction"_. 

Kathryn packed her books and treasure in her trunk on top of her the blanket a St. Mungos Nurse had given her when she'd had to stay in hospital for a month after Sirius had put a scorpion in her bed. She glanced at the scar on her right hand; it looked quite as unpleasant as it had the last time she'd checked. Now she thought about it, it had been around that time in her life that she had become so fascinated by werewolves. However, she couldn't quite remember exactly how she'd first found out about them. All she could remember was, as soon she'd been released from hospital, she had wanted to get her hands on every werewolf book she could find. 

She looked back into the wardrobe to see if she had forgotten anything else. She had. There was a silver hand mirror her mother had given her when she had been eight. The initials _KB_ where spelled out in emerald on the back. There was also a diary that she had never written in and under that was her wand, ebony and dragon heart-string, 13 inches. How could have nearly left her wand at home? Thanking whoever ran the universe, Kathryn scooped up these last three things and placed them in her trunk. 

Downstairs she could hear Regulus and her parents going to the dining room for breakfast. Deciding to skip being reminded yet again by her mother that she was 'Not to mix with Mudbloods under any circumstances', Kathryn took her werewolf book out and curled up to read it. 

* 

'I cannot believe you let me sleep through breakfast!' Sirius groaned. 'Some sister you are. I'm starving now' 

'Look, Sirius, I know it is impossible for you to get up any time before half past nine, but that doesn't make waking you up my responsibility!' Kathryn snapped back. 'And at least you managed to keep down all the crap you ate last night. You should consider yourself lucky.' 

They were standing on platform nine and three quarters, gazing jealously at all the families who had come to see their children off. Kathryn's own parents had dumped her and Sirius without so much as a goodbye. 

She watched as a boy with messy black hair and glasses was hugged lovingly by his mother. When she had released him, he looked up and caught Kathryn staring. She blushed a little, but smiled and waved all the same. The boy grinned widely and waved back. He started over, but his father pulled him back and whispered something to his son. The black haired boy nodded and glared at Sirius and Kathryn. 

Kathryn was about to walk over to the boy when there was a sudden strong smell of sandal wood and patchouli oil. She heard a slightly vague voice that seemed to be talking to her. 

'I know who you are.' 

Kathryn turned around and saw a hippy girl standing in front of her. She had long, caramel blonde hair, that seemed to hav slighly ginger tint when it caught the sunlight, fell down to her waist and had blue green eyes. She was wearing a peach cheesecloth top with gold embroidery around the neck, wrists and waist and a long, flowing, pillar box red skirt with pale pink hippy flowers printed on it. Even though it was raining, she wore satrapy sandals that showed off her pale pink nail varnish. An ugly bead chocker hung around her neck that had several strings of green, fuchsia and gold cylinder beads coming down from it. Her slender wrists were encircled by many glittery bangles. 

'I know you are,' the hippy girl repeated. 'You two are the Black twins. My mother has heard a lot about your family, though nothing good. Your mother doesn't like you very much.' 

'How do you know so much about us?' Kathryn asked in a mock suspicious voice, trying not to sound too surprised. It wasn't every day that a hippy girl came up to you and told you about yourself. 

'Mum has an important job at the Ministry of Magic,' Hippy Girl said, as if it explained everything. 'She meets a loads of people. Hears a lot of rumours, too. She knows the Potters quite well.' she added, nodding towards the messy haired boy and his family. 

Kathryn's good mood evaporated then and there. The first person who she'd tried to make friends with had been a Potter. The Potters were the one pure-blood family Kathryn was not allowed to have anything to do with. 

'James, the boy, seems a bit mean at first but he's quite nice, really.' Hippy Girl continued. ' I've met him loads of times at parties at the Potters' house. They have the most amazing mansion!' 

'Really?' said Kathryn, fully intending to talk to Hippy Girl about Grimmauld Place and her hopes to find secret rooms at Hogwarts, was interrupted by Sirius. 

'And what exactly is _your_ name? Seeing as you know so much about everyone else, don't we deserve to know something about you?' 

'Sirius!' Kathryn groaned, stamping on his foot. 'Don't be rude! What is your name my the way?' 

Hippy Girl giggled slightly rearranging her bangles so that they were in rainbow order on both her wrists. Finally she spoke. 

'It's Autumn,' she said. 'Autumn Woods' 

'Wow, what an _usual _name,' Kathryn said, struggling not to giggle. 

'Kate, will you stop being so uptight and introduce us.' Sirius teased her. 

'Oh, right. I'm Kathryn Black and this prat is my twin Sirius. I suppose you already knew that, though.' 

'Naturally,' Autumn said, nodding. 'You know, I think we ought to be getting on the train. I think it's nearly eleven.' 

They Heaved their trunks onto the train and had to drag them all the way to the back before they found a compartment that was nearly empty. The only person in there was a boy with brown hair who was reading a book. He looked up when they came in, revealing startling blue eyes. 

'You don't mind, do you?' Kathryn asked as he folded down the corner of the page he'd been reading. 

He shook his head. 'No. I'm Remus Lupin.' He added holding out his. 

She took it, willing herself not to turn in into a pile of quivering jelly. She wasn't used to talking to any boys except her brothers. 'Kathryn Black.' she mumbled. 'Kathryn with a K. And a y.' 

She knew she was babbling. She could feel the others staring, but it didn't matter in the slightest. All that mattered was that she kept eye contact. His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue that she had only seen once before, though she couldn't quite remember when or where. 

Suddenly Kathryn saw, for a split second, a little boy running down a field under the blue light of the full moon. She saw a tiny, curly haired girl lying in a hospital bed; two nurses conversing in whispers; the boy opening startlingly blue eyes; a massive ball of fur launching itself at the same boy… 

'Is it ok if I sit in here?' A nervous voice asked. 

Kathryn turned around slowly, not sure what to expect. She certainly hadn't been expecting confindent looking redhead with emerald green eyes. 

'Hi, I'm Lily Evans.'   
  


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Authors Notes: Questions? Comments? Criticism? This is the first chapter I haven't run past my dad and stepmum so I don't know how good it is. The grammar may be a little off because I've been at my mum's for a week and had to write two thirds of this on Microsoft Works because my stepdad won't let me put Word on his computer. I'll try hard to make the next chapter longer. I don't like introduction chapters much. 


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